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Parents key to improving schools in Asbury Park

Speaker after speaker at the Asbury Park Press' excellent Summit for Success Thursday night stressed that parental involvement was a key to the solution, but the Press article about the event, "Multiple solutions for fixing Asbury Park schools," left out the testimony of Esther Piekarski, who held out that key for the taking.

Piekarski, who runs a pre-K program, offered a specific, do-able solution. Since the parents are not coming to events currently being offered, the school system needs to schedule events that will attract parents at times that are convenient for the parents.

The parents need to feel comfortable and supported when they come in. Piekarski said she has developed a successful program over 30 years.

Since her presentation of a positive, specific, tested program stood out at the Summit for Success, let's hear more of what Piekarski has to say.

Katherine Blohm

Atlantic Highlands

Pledge of Allegiance patriotic, not religious,

In response to a lawsuit to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance at a Monmouth County school district, a Press editorial opined: "Don't remove 'under God.' "

Before the mid 1950s, the pledge was a patriotic, nonreligious and inclusive exercise, which was recited by all, including schoolchildren. That ended in 1954, when Congress turned a patriotic pledge into a religious affirmation by adding the words "under God" as a result of intense lobbying from Christian religious groups.

The pledge's author never included "under God" in the original pledge; vote-seeking politicians did.

What the "under God" slogan in the pledge has unfortunately accomplished is it has equated patriotism with a belief in God. In order for all American citizens - whether religious or not - to enjoy religious liberty, the government must be neutral on religious matters.

Government should not be in the religion business. The idea that patriotism requires religious belief is absurd.

To truly love freedom, to support the Constitution, to honor our founding generation and our nation is to strive to build up the "wall of separation," not tear it down.

If you want to see what happens when you start mixing religion, government and pandering politicians, take a look at Lakewood.

And I wonder what all the advocates of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance would say if the pledge was amended to read "one nation "under Allah"?

Borden Applegate

Jackson

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Speaker after speaker at the Asbury Park Press' excellent Summit for Success Thursday night stressed that parental involvement was a key to the solution, but the Press article about the event,

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